St. Paul Pioneer Press tech blog by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Your Tech Weblog

St. Paul Pioneer Press tech blog by Julio Ojeda-Zapata

Halo marathon in St. Paul raises cash for Childs Play charity

Paul Ference of St. Paul expects to be pretty sore come Monday — but it’s all for a good cause.

How sore exactly? Let’s start with Ference’s thumbs.

He and several of his friends are playing the famed “Halo” sci-fi-combat video games, one after the other, through the weekend and into the coming work week, to raise money for charity.

The gaming marathon, called “Skulls for Tots” and inspired by similar gaming events elsewhere in the country, is raising money for Child’s Play, a national organization that donates toys and games to hospitals.

“It’s a way for us to help kids who are in a rough spot,” Ference said. There’s nothing wrong with helping a kid in a rough spot. It’s a good charity to get behind.”

To make things a bit more interesting, Ference, 31, plans to do an exercise drill — 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats and 10 burpees — every time the event raises $100. So, yes, he might have a bit of trouble moving on Monday.

Internet users can see it all via a video livestream at skullsfortots.org (and donate there via the PayPal service, as well).

“People can chat with us, ask us questions, and make fun of us for not playing well,” Ference said in his apartment’s cramped living room, where the action is happening.

The “Skulls for Tots” moniker is a riff on the famed “Toys for Tots” holiday charity. “Skulls” in the “Halo” context refers to unlockable features or “easter eggs” that change the experience in some way.

As the “Skulls for Tots” donation tally increases, Ference and Crew will activate skulls to make their cooperative-combat experience increasingly difficult.

“The more money we raise, the harder it will get,” Ference said. “It is a Schadenfreude thing.

”The gamers won’t be testing the limits of human endurance, though. They’ll rotate in and out in roughly hourly shifts so they aren’t worn out.

“We will get sleep and take care of our, um, natural amenities,” said Ference, who will also be well fed courtesy of home-cooked meals being brought in by friends and neighbors.

His beverage of choice? It’s Black Blood of the Earth, a distilled and highly caffeinated form of coffee that will help fuel his button mashing.